Biden understands Arab and Muslim concerns over Israel-Gaza war toll, White House says

Iran has not yet jumped into Israel-Gaza war 'with both feet', John Kirby tells The National

Live updates: Follow the latest news on Israel-Gaza

President Joe Biden understands the fear and anxiety of Arabs and Muslims in the US and around the world and is “steadfastly” pushing Israel to try to protect civilians in the Gaza Strip, the White House has told The National.

Speaking one month since the October 7 Hamas attacks on southern Israel, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby on Tuesday also ruled out US troops fighting in Gaza and said there were no signs Iran has jumped into the conflict “with both feet”, despite a surge in attacks by Tehran-linked groups in Iraq and Syria.

In the weeks since Hamas killed about 1,400 people in Israel and took 240 more hostage, Israel has pounded the Gaza Strip to try to eradicate the group.

Hamas health authorities say more than 10,300 people have been killed, most of them women and children, raising questions as to the legitimacy and proportionality of the Israeli response.

Mr Kirby said the White House believes that Hamas should never be allowed to govern Gaza again and that Israel must be able to defend itself.

But Mr Biden “also understands the fear, the anxiety, the mourning in the Arab community and the Muslim community here and around the world for the civilian casualties”, Mr Kirby said.

“It's heartbreaking to see the images coming out of Gaza, of little babies being pulled from the rubble and being killed by these air strikes, and that is why he has maintained steadfastly in every conversation that he has with the Prime Minister [Benjamin Netanyahu], the need to do everything possible to protect innocent civilian life.”

Mr Biden spoke to Mr Netanyahu on Monday and discussed “temporary and localised pauses” in strikes on the Gaza Strip.

When asked if the US is satisfied that Israel is striking legitimate military targets, Mr Kirby said: “We are not going to react in real time to every strike or every tactical operation that the Israelis conduct”.

The President is facing mounting anger at home and abroad over his handling of the conflict and his administration’s refusal to call for a ceasefire, instead trying to persuade Israel to enact more loosely defined “pauses”.

The Pentagon requires no monitoring of how US bombs are used in Gaza and Mr Kirby reiterated the US position that it is “still the case” that there are no “red lines” in how Israel conducts its operations in the Palestinian territory.

Mr Kirby said the White House still does not take Hamas authorities’ civilian casualty numbers “at face value”, but said “many, many thousands” had been killed.

A growing number of Mr Biden’s fellow Democrats are calling for a ceasefire, and on Saturday tens of thousands of protesters in Washington marched in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, demanding US support for a ceasefire.

Arab and Muslim-American voters in key states, including Michigan, say they will not support Mr Biden in 2024, a loss of support that could prove critical.

Mr Biden has drawn ire for comments questioning the death toll in Gaza, even as schools, hospitals and apartment buildings collapse under Israeli strikes.

Iran-backed attacks

The US is trying to avoid the Israel-Gaza war becoming a broader regional conflict but attacks launched by Hezbollah from Lebanon have already increased, and Iran-backed militias are attacking American forces in Iraq and Syria on a near daily basis.

American forces in Iraq were hit with two more attacks in the past 24 hours, a Defence Department official confirmed to The National on Tuesday, bringing the number of strikes on US and coalition forces in Iraq and Syria to 40 since mid-October, with 22 in Iraq and 18 in Syria so far.

Nonetheless, Mr Kirby said the US does not assess other groups or nations are determined to broaden the conflict.

“While there has been some rocket attacks, certainly across the northern border of Israel, from Lebanon … We still would not judge that any other actor, including Iran, has jumped in with both feet here to try to really escalate the conflict,” Mr Kirby said.

No US boots on the ground

Washington is Israel’s largest benefactor, funding its military with $3.3 billion annually. Congress is currently seeking another $14.3 billion in emergency funding.

The US has sent air defence systems, aircraft carriers and troops to the Middle East in recent weeks, but officials have stressed they are there to protect US forces in the region and deter other countries or groups from getting involved in the Israel-Gaza war.

The Pentagon says it has special operations forces working in Israel, primarily to assist in hostage recovery efforts. Last week, the US confirmed it is flying unarmed drones over Gaza to try to aid in these operations.

Mr Kirby said this should not be seen as a sign that the US will eventually deploy troops to help the Israelis in their ground operations in Gaza.

“The use of unmanned aerial assets is strictly to help provide a measure of situational awareness about hostages and where they might be,” Mr Kirby said.

“It should not be construed by anybody as some sort of precursor to US boots on the ground. There is no plan, no intention to put American soldiers on the ground in Gaza.”

The latest from the Israel-Gaza war – in pictures

Palestinians cry as they walk away after an area hit by Israeli missiles in Rafah, the Gaza Strip. AP

Palestinians with foreign passports wait for permission to leave Gaza at the Rafah border crossing with Egypt. Reuters

A Palestinian boy pushes a man on a wheelchair past debris in Rafah. AFP

A paramedic holds an injured bird as he searches through buildings destroyed during Israeli air raids in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip. Getty Images

Israeli soldiers take part in ground operations at a location given as Gaza. Reuters

A man listens for any potential sounds of life following an Israeli air strike on the Maghazi refugee camp in Gaza. AFP

People flee after Israeli air strikes on the Maghazi refugee camp. AFP

An Israeli soldier arranges artillery shells near the border with the Gaza Strip. AFP

Relatives and friends of those kidnapped during the October 7 Hamas attack hold photos of their loved ones during a protest calling for their return outside Israel's parliament. AP

Israeli flares illuminate the sky over west Gaza in the northern Gaza Strip. EPA

Smoke rises from northern Gaza after Israeli pounded the besieged enclave. AFP

Ambulances queue at the Rafah border as they wait to cross into Gaza to transport the injured back to Egypt for treatment. Getty Images

Women cry as one of them holds an injured toddler outside Shuhada Al Aqsa hospital after an Israeli bombardment of Deir Balah, in the central Gaza Strip. AFP

Displaced Palestinian children sit in a makeshift shelter at Al Shifa hospital, amid the Israel-Gaza war. Reuters

Israeli soldiers patrol outside a house destroyed during fighting with Hamas militants, in the kibbutz of Kfar Aza. Bloomberg

Palestinians from Bureij refugee camp use Salah Al Din street as they flee the southern Gaza Strip. AP

Palestinian children clean up outside their home after Israel struck Maghazi refugee camp in the Gaza Strip. AP

Khan Younis residents search through buildings destroyed during Israeli air raids. Getty Images

People take part in a candlelight vigil in Dizengoff Square, in Tel Aviv. Getty Images

Demonstrators rally in support of Palestinians in Denver, Colorado. AFP

Galya David, the mother of hostage Evyatar David, takes part in the 'Bring them home' event organised by the Greek Israeli Community in Athens. EPA

Lebanese parademics show the blood-stained high-vis jackets of four of their colleagues wounded after their ambulances were hit in a strike on the Lebanese town of Tayr Harfa. AFP

Flares are dropped by Israeli forces above Gaza, as seen from Sderot, near the border with the Palestinian enclave. AFP

Israeli forces at a position along the the border with Gaza. AFP

Palestinians search for bodies and survivors at Magazi refugee camp in Gaza after an Israeli air strike. Reuters

Leaflets are dropped by the Israeli army over Gaza city asking people to evacuate towards the south of the Palestinian enclave. AFP

An injured toddler awaits treatment at the emergency ward of Al-Shifa Hospital following an Israeli strike, in Gaza city. AFP

A Palestinian man wails amid a search for casualties after an Israeli strike on houses, at Magazi refugee camp, Gaza. Reuters

Anadolu news agency cameraman Mohammed El Aloul pictured after several of his children and siblings were killed in Israeli strikes. Reuters

Israeli soldiers walk past debris and damaged buildings at a location given as Gaza by Israel's military. Reuters

Protesters rally outside the White House in support of Palestinians in Gaza, Washington. Reuters

A man mourns after losing relatives following an Israeli air strike in Gaza city. AP

An art installation of prams with the faces of kidnapped children on display in Tel Aviv. Getty Images

An Israeli woman calls for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. AP

A Palestinian man stands on a collapsed building following a strike by the Israeli military on Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip. AFP

Palestinians gather at the site of Israeli strikes on a residential building in Khan Younis. Reuters

Thousands of civilians, both Palestinians and Israelis, have died since October 7, 2023. AFP

A Palestinian woman sits in the rubble as rescuers look for her relatives following the Israeli bombardment of Khan Younis. AFP

Smoke rises from Gaza as the conflict between Israel and Palestinian group Hamas continues. Reuters

Mourners at the funeral of Druze Israeli Lt Col Salman Habaka in the village of Yanuh Jat, northern Israel. AP

A Palestinian boy pulled from the rubble of a building following an Israeli air attack on Bureij refugee camp, in the Gaza Strip. AP

A survivor calls from Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis following Israeli air attacks. EPA

People wait on the Egyptian side of the border after passing the Rafah border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt. EPA

Pro-Palestinian supporters during a demonstration near a US military transport vessel at the Port of Oakland in California. AP